Mental health & trans people Side Event at UN Human Rights Council

No person may be forced to undergo any form of medical or psychological treatment, procedure, testing, or be confined to a medical facility, based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Notwithstanding any classifications to the contrary, a person's sexual orientation and gender identity are not, in and of themselves, medical conditions and are not to be treated, cured or suppressed. Article 18. Protection Against Medical Abuses. Yogyakarta Principles.

All around the world, transgender people are routinely classified as mentally disordered because of their gender identity and/or gender expression. Mental health diagnoses are required by many States to regulate access to basic human rights, such as gender recognition, gender affirming healthcare, and its coverage. This fosters stigma, discrimination and violence and denies transgender people’s autonomy and self-determination. Furthermore, pathologization promotes and justifies gross human rights violations, including conversion therapies, sterilization, torture and ill treatment in healthcare settings.. It affects transgender people of all ages, including children, adolescents and elders. Read more via Facebook

Watch the livestreamed event from Asia Pacific Transgender Network via Facebook here